SYlVIPSON. 313 1655 he was appointed, by a commission from the protector Cromwell, one of the new visitors of the universityof Cam- 'bridge.. During the long parliament he gathered a church and congregation in London, upon the, plan of the indepen- dents, which assembled in Abchurch, near Cannon-street. Mr. Sympson was a divine of considerable learning, of great piety and devotion, and a celebrated preacher. Dr. Grey calls him a celebrated preacher of rebellious principles; which is plain, says he, from the following passage in one of his sermons: " Reformation is liable to inhuman treacheries. Pharaoh's dealing was very treacherous. He bade the people go ; gave them liberty by proclamation; and when he had got them at an advantage, he brought up an army to cut them off. The reforming of the church will meet with such kind of enemies."t If the learned doctor had not been in the constant practice of ascribing rebellion to the puritan divines, he would have found some difficulty in discovering rebellious principles from this passage. And so far from appearing plain from the pasSage, that he was a celebrated preacher of those principles, we think it would puzzle all the learning of the two universities of Oxford and Cambridge to make the discovery, Mr. Edwards censures him for attempting to propagate his own sentiments relative to church discipline, liberty of conscience, and universal toleration.t In his last sickness, he laboured under spiritual darkness and some melancholy apprehensions; on which account certain of his friends and brethren assembled at his house to assist him with their prayers. When they took their leave of him, he thanked them, and said, he was now satisfied in his soul, and lifting up his hands towards heaven, exclaimed, " He is come, he is come !" and died the same evening. This was in the year 16584 Mr. Sympson published several sermons preached before the parliament, one of which is entitled, " Reformation's Preservation, opened in a Sermon preached at Westminster before the Honourable House of Commons, at the late solemn Fast, July W, 1643." He was author of some other pieces, the titles of which have not reached us, 851vester's Life of Baxter, part ii. p. 197.-Neal's Puritans, vol. iv. Js. 27, 183. + Grey's Examination, vol. i. p. 188. Antapologia, p. 215, 216. Neil's Puritans, vol. iv. p. 207.
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